Measles outbreak: Why has MMR vaccine uptake dropped in recent years?
It's recommended children should have two MMR vaccine doses for best protection - one is offered at the age of one, and the next dose at three years and four months.
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00:00Measles is highly infectious and it can lead to serious complications and even death.
00:06Thankfully the measles vaccine, the MMR, is highly effective and safe.
00:12But MMR uptake is now at the lowest it has been in a decade
00:16and we're starting to see cases of measles rise across the UK.
00:20But why has vaccine uptake fallen?
00:23Some believe misinformation spread during the coronavirus pandemic
00:26has led to some feeling wary about vaccines
00:29while headlines about strain on the NHS have meant others have stepped back
00:33to prevent adding further pressure to our healthcare services.
00:37The people who are really under the cosh at the moment, the paramedics, A&E, intensive care,
00:42they're not the ones giving you vaccinations.
00:44You can get your vaccinations done in a GP surgery or by the pharmacist or other vaccination hubs
00:50and by doing that you not just protect yourselves but you're protecting those people around you
00:56and protecting the NHS from further work as well.